cosy
adjective · verb · noun
Simple meaning
Affording comfort and warmth.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kohzeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkoʊzi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
of a place or object
Affording comfort and warmth; snug; social and comfortable.
of a person
Warm and comfortable.
verb
To become snug and comfortable.
To become friendly with.
noun
A padded cloth covering to keep a teapot warm
A padded or knit covering for any item (often an electronic device such as a laptop computer).
A work of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (of a place or object) Affording comfort and warmth; snug; social and comfortable.
Used this way, cosy is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- cozy , used mainly in Regional English
- cosey , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use cosy
- “He spent all day cosying up to the new boss, hoping for a plum assignment.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Other combinations
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Affording comfort and warmth.
In a state of comfort and content.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A padded cloth covering to keep a teapot warm.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.